The Short Life of Prince Henry Tudor Duke of Cornwall | Son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

From History Calling

He was the BOY WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN KING Henry IX, but tragically it wasn’t to be. This is the story of the short life of Prince Henry Tudor, Duke of Cornwall, firstborn son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, whose death changed history. This New Year’s Day Prince was born on 1 January 1511 at Richmond Palace much to the delight of his parents, who had already lost one child the year before. With his arrival, the position of his mother, the Spanish Princess, Catherine of Aragon, as Queen of England should have been secure and like his uncle, Arthur Tudor, over thirty years earlier, this boy seemed to represent stability for the Tudor dynasty. It now had that all important male heir to the throne and with King Henry VIII still only a teenager himself, it seemed certain there would be time for little Prince Henry to grow up before becoming King. The baby was of course given a christening fit for royalty, with William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, Louis XII of France and Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy as his godparents. He was then quickly set up with his own household numbering over forty people. There was also a lavish tournament to mark his birth and this was commemorated in the Westminster Roll. Yet just seven and a half weeks after his arrival, on 22 February, the little Tudor prince was dead. There hadn’t even been time to make him Prince of Wales. He was buried in Westminster Abbey after a grand funeral and ever since he has represented to history what might have been for the Tudors. In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling we look at the brief life of Prince Henry, one of the shortest-lived Tudors and at how, despite his short time here on earth, he has nevertheless made his mark.